Month: July 2007

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 5 2007

Second Russian military convoy leaves Batumi base in Georgia
16:12 | 05/ 07/ 2007

TBILISI, July 5 (RIA Novosti) – Twenty-eight rail carriages carrying
military equipment from the second Russian military base in Georgia
left the city of Batumi by railroad heading for Russia, the Georgian
Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The convoy containing mainly radio and communications equipment
departed for Russia at 1.20 a.m. local time (9.20 p.m. Wednesday
GMT), the hardware will travel through Azerbaijan, because there is
no direct rail link between Russia and Georgia.

This is the second convoy to leave from Batumi for Russia. The first
military cargo was transferred June 28 from Batumi to Gyumri in
neighboring Armenia, where Russia retains its Military Base 102. The
next train is expected to leave Batumi on July 12.

The pullout is part of Russia’s commitment made at the 1999 OSCE
summit in Istanbul where Moscow promised to withdraw from its two
military bases in Georgia by the end of 2008.

One of the bases, in Akhalkalaki, southeast of Georgia, was vacated
late last month.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 5 2007

Rene van der Linden: I regret to say that Azerbaijan-Armenian match
did not take place

[ 05 Jul 2007 16:41 ]

`I regret to say that Azerbaijan-Armenian match did not take place’,
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe president Rene van
der Linden was quoted by APA as saying.

PACE President René van der Linden said UEFA decision on cancelling
Azerbaijan-Armenian matches was unexpected. PACE persident emphasized
that sport helps to expand relations between nations. `Sport is too
interesting field. Sport has power to develop inter-people
relations’.
After the draw Azerbaijan wished to hold the matches in neutral zone.
The other side voted for Baku and Iravan to hold the matches. UEFA
Executive Committee decided to cancel the matches after meeting in
Herenven, Netherlands. /APA-Sport/

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 4 2007

PLACEMENT OF GRADUATES OF MILITARY INSTITUTE BY SERVICE STATIONS TO
TAKE PLACE ON JULY 7 IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 4. /ARKA/. Public placement of V. Sargsyan Military
Institute graduates by their service stations will take place in
Yerevan on July 7.

Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Seyran
Shahsouvaryan said that similar event will be held in Armenia for the
first time.

The press-release said that the journalists present at the event will
represent observers, providing transparency of the placement process.

The Defense Ministry’s Military Institute after V. Sargsyan was
established on June 24, 1994. The institute has 10 chairs, six of
which are military-specialized and four – of social sciences. The
duration of the education in the institute is four years.

Since the establishment the institute had 2ths graduates, which makes
20% of the officers’ staff in the Armenian Army. L.M. -0–

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 5 2007

3547 CRIMES COMMITTED IN ARMENIA BETWEEN JANUARY AND MAY 2007

YEREVAN, July 5. /ARKA/. National Statistical Service of Armenia says
referring to Armenian Police Departmnet’s figures that 3547 crimes
have been committed in Armenia over a period between January and May
2007.

The number of offenses was 4.9% smaller than that of the same period
a year earlier.

According to the report, 991 minor offenses, 1135 mid-gravity crimes,
1350 major crimes and 71 special-gravity felonies were recorded in
Armenia at the mentioned period of 2007.

Of them, 42 crimes were committed with using guns and armament.
M.V.-0—

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 5 2007

ARMENIA CELEBRATING CONSTITUTION DAY

YEREVAN, July 5. /ÀÐÊÀ/. Armenia celebrates the Day of Constitution
today.
The Constitution, adopted at a referendum on July 5, 1995 constitutes
the basis for Armenian statehood and people welfare.

Armenia amended the Constitution two year ago as part of its CE
commitments. The amendment gave greater room for developing democracy
and protecting human rights.

The amended Constitution provides ordinary citizens with a right to
appeal to Constitutional Court.

The amendments have also lifted double citizenship ban. This is very
important for Armenia because the nation has large communities
overseas.

Under the amended Constitution, strengthened the role of the
Parliament and handed over a part of powers from the president to
other institutions.

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said Thursday in his national
address that the Constitution plays the key part in every country’s
life, since it outlines the way for development.

The president pointed out that Armenian Constitution constitutes a
firm basis for strengthening democracy and ensuring stable
development.

`The Constitution guarantees fundamental freedoms and human rights
and ensure balanced distribution of powers among governing
institutions and their interaction. It also gave guarantees to local
self-governing bodies’, the president said.

The Constitution consists of 117 articles.

The Constitution states that all citizens enjoy equal rights.
M.V.-0—

05/

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 5 2007

PACE CHAIRMAN SEES NO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN, July 5. /ARKA/. CE Parliamentary Assembly Chairman Rene van
der Linden sees no progress in Karabakh conflict settlement.

He said Wednesday as met Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran
Torosyan in Yerevan that efforts are needed to form public opinion
for the problem settlement through negotiations, Armenian National
Assembly press office reports.

Torosyan, in his turn, said that nobody in Armenia or Karabakh tries
to stir up hatred against other nation and nobody runs military
propaganda in Armenia or Karabakh, while Azerbaijan is doing polar
opposite things.

As an example of that, Torosyan pointed out Azerbaijan’s reaction to
Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals’ tour to Yerevan, Stepanakert
and Baku.

He said this initiative was taken properly in Armenia and Karabakh,
while in Azerbaijan this visit prompted widespread criticism and
protests.

Torosyan said that such a conduct contradicts PACE Resolution N1416
containing war and hatred propaganda condemnation.

The speaker urged international organizations to display impartiality
in gauging public opinion in countries. M.V.-0—

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
July 4, 2007 Wednesday

ILKHAM ALIEV: "WE ARE ACCUMULATING FORCES AND ARE PREPARED TO CARRY
OUT A MILITARY OPERATION AT ANY MOMENT"

Speaking today to graduates of the police academy, President of
Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliev said, "The war is not over yet and only its
first stage has been accomplished. We are strengthening the army and
the economy and should be prepared to liberate our lands from
occupation by any means. And we are approaching this day." Aliev
added, "During all these years, we have been strengthening our
military potential; we are the most powerful country in the region in
the military aspect and in a few years, nobody will be able to
counteract us. People in Armenia understand this well, they should
find bravery and leave the territories that do not belong to them
voluntarily." Otherwise the territories will be liberated by any
means. Aliev completed, "We will never get reconciled with the
current situation and are prepared to carry out a military operation
at any moment."

Source: Turan news agency (Baku), July 02, 2007

Translated by Pavel Pushkin

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
July 4, 2007 Wednesday 06:15 AM EST

Armenia’s priority – social integration of migrants – Kocharyan

Armenia’s authorities see social integration of migrants as their
priority, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said on Wednesday
receiving a new special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees.

“In parallel with the country’s development and economic growth we
from year to year expand our opportunities to resolve problems of
refugees,” Kocharyan said.

He expressed confidence that Armenia and the UNHCR will maintain
their effective cooperation in the future.

The UNHCR office has been working in Armenia since 1992.

Armenian migration agency chief Gagik Yeganyan said at present,
300,000 refugees from Azerbaijan reside in Armenia, including 80,000
people, who were granted the Armenian citizenship.

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
July 5, 2007 Thursday 06:58 AM EST

39 units of military hardware depart for Russia from Batumi base

A rail train with 39 units of military hardware and property headed
for Russia on Thursday from the Russian military base in Batumi,
Itar-Tass learnt by phone from a spokesman of the Russian base
command in Batumi. The total weight of cargo is around 900 tonnes.

All the hardware and property had been brought in good time to the
cargo rail station on the outskirts of Batumi and loaded into 35
wagons of the train which pulled off from the station last night. The
train will cross the Georgian-Azerbaijan border this afternoon and
then will continue the trip to Russia via Azerbaijan.

According to the spokesman of the base command, it is the eighth
train with hardware and property from Batumi this year. Another three
trains will be dispatched this year to Russia and four – to Armenia,
to the Russian base in Gyumri. In compliance with the
Georgian-Russian understandings, the Batumi base will be closed down
by October 1, 2008.

As for the Russian base in Akhalkalaki, southern Georgia, all
facilities of the base were handed over to the Georgian Defence
Ministry late in June. The base infrastructure included 196
buildings, among them seven staff structures, seven barracks, three
dining-rooms, a House of Officers, a hospital, two secondary schools,
a kindergarten and two clubs.

The Georgian side also received all real estate of the base. All
weapons and materiel were brought to the base in Gyumri and to Russia
in 2005-2007.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
July 3, 2007 Tuesday 09:19 PM EST

Inter-ethnic relations in Moscow assume a new tint

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has said inter-ethnic relations in Moscow
are entering a new phase. The local population and the natives of the
southern republics of the former Soviet Union prepare and agree on
places of mass clashes and brawls.

In an interview with the TVTS television channel on Tuesday, Luzhkov
said that certain groups of young people continued to manifest
nationalism, chauvinism and xenophobia. According to Luzhkov, an
attempt to stage mass clashes in Moscow’s central district of Kitai
Gorod on June 22 revealed a totally new phenomenon. Both members of
nationalistic organizations and youths from southern ethnic
communities gathered with an equal desire to fight. “Both sides
showed an intention to fight. It is a totally new phenomenon,”
Luzhkov stressed.

The police acted quickly. Its actions were well organized.
“Everything was under control, every step was tracked,” Luzhkov
went on to say. However, imperfect laws didn’t allow law enforcers to
intervene and prevent the clashes. More than 20 people were detained.

“All the judicial procedures are under way now. A representative of
the Armenian community was wounded. We arrested a person who did
that. He will be tried very strictly,” Yuri Luzhkov said.

The mayor noted that all the participants in the clash would be
charged for “kindling inter-ethnic strife” and not with “ordinary
hooliganism” as it was done previously.

“This is right!,” he said. “Moscow is a multinational city. We
should learn to treat representatives of any other nationality
calmly, otherwise the country will fall apart,” the mayor went on to
say.

In conclusion, Luzhkov promised that the city will live calmly and
those who kindles inter-ethnic strife will be punished strictly.